


r 



.^' . 

















' .^' 



V* ^!.^ 






























•S' b 



O •f » . s * j'v 






o V 



•Jy' 






■^ ' ^>i 'T^ ^-* ° 

^^ ' « . s /^ 

AV 



•^^ 









vV . 












K^ 



«lc 









4J\N\V ' ."b*^ '^. 



e/»i^'^ 



^^' 

i*/^ 

<>-^ V 



"°o 






.^' 



.^^ 



^ s • • , "^ 
















i<- 









^^0^ 



^S> * « » <;T 



'o' ^^<^^ '^ 



4 9. 






.^^^^.. 



A^ 



.V-- 









n^ 



-^^ 



'o > 




o ^ 



u^'' .*:^m x/ .•^'•. "-^..^ 




.^' 



f^..^ 









''^ 







, / -mk:- %.o^' .v^^'- "-./ ;'^;^:-. Vo«' :V^' 
V'-rS^V ^.--^-'V ^'-?^-/ \.--'' 

I- /-\ "• „ >■ .^'\ '"fp-' /\ "--. . >*" 













J^ 



A- 



■^b; 

^o.. 






V' ^.> A^ ^>.%f,V. '^^Z »*^fe^'' %^^^ ,'/^.%r;^,/^>„ \, 






^-^ ' • • s \ » ^ _^ 



.^^ 









BRADDOCK'S ROCK.^ 

A STUDY IN LOCAIv HISTORY. 

Among the many striking incidents in onr colonial his- 
tory the story of the unfortunate expedition led by Braddock 
against the French in 1755 is the one that appeals to us who 
have our homes in the District of Columbia, most strongly. 
Of those events that have to do with the long struggle between 
the French and English for supremacy in the new world, 
and which terminated early in the autumn of i759» when on 
the Plains of Abraham the brave Montcalm lowered the lilies 
of France to the victorious Wolfe, the only one, so far as I 
am aware, in which the forces of either nation came within 
the territory of the Federal District, is that, the memory of 
which we meet to perpetuate. It is therefore most fitting that 
your society which has among its objects the preservation of 
traditions of colonial history, should lend its aid towards 
saving from desecration the only existing memorial of that 
event. 

In the settlement of the new world the adventurous explor- 
ers of many nations took part, but of those certainly in the east- 
ern part of ISforth America, which has become our country, 
the representatives of the French and English were most con- 
spicuous. It is interesting to note that for the most part the 
English settled along the shores of the Atlantic, and of this 
fact Jamestown and Plymouth are conspicuous illustrations. 
On the other hand the French followed the courses of the 
great streams of the continent, and we find them ascending 
the St. Lawrence. As the English spread inland, so the 
French continued their explorations up the rivers until in 
time they reached the country of the Great Lakes, and with the 
cross of the Holy Church ever leading made their way to 
the Mississippi, and thence in 1682 La Salle, our first great 

^ A paper read before the National Society of Colonial Dames in the 
District of Columbia, on April 12, 1899. 



^^. 

^"^ 



3'^ 



pioneer of the west, with his flotilla of canoes, descended its 
mighty waters to the Gulf of Mexico, and Louisiana was added 
to the possessions of the King of France. 

In order to hold this territory of Louisiana, which was ceded 
to us in 1803 by France, and gave to us the "splendid empire 
west of the Mississippi,"^ the French erected a series of forts, 
of which the one at the meeting of the Monongahela and Alle- 
gheny Rivers, where the city of Pittsburg now is, was called 
Duquesne, in honor of the Governor of New France. The 
growth of the English Colonies and the encroachment of the 
French on the domains claimed by the former, together with 
the depredations of the Indians could but lead to one result. 
The terrible struggle for supremacy between two great nations 
was about to begin, and the outcome would determine the 
possessions of a continent. 

Meanwhile the colonial authorities realizing fully the con- 
dition of affairs, had received instructions from the home 
government to send a commissioner to the officer command- 
ing the French forces to inquire by what authority he was 
invading the King's domain. Governor Dinwiddle chose for 
this dangerous and delicate mission his young and able adju- 
tant general, George Washington. Of his perilous journey, 
of his marvelous escape, and his successful return he him- 
self has told the story in his own journals.^ No more signal 
test could have been afforded of his various abilities and 
talents, which this expedition served at once to display and to 
develop, "From that moment," says Washington Irving,* "he 
was the rising hope of Virginia." 

^The Louisiana Purchase and Our Title West of the Rocky Moun- 
tain, with a Review of Annexation by the United States. By Binger 
Hermann, Washington, 1898, p. 11. 

''Journal of Colonel George Washington, commanding a detach- 
ment of Virginia troops, sent by Robert Dinwiddie, Lieutenant Gov- 
ernor of Virginia, across the Allegheny Mountains in 1754, to build 
forts at the head of the Ohio. Edited with Notes by J. M. Toner. 
Albany, 1893. 

■* Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography, New York, 1889, 
Volume VI, article George Washington. 



In 1754, the year following, Washington was made com- 
mander of the little band of Virginia soldiers with which Gov- 
ernor Dinwiddle (whom Parkman^ calls "the most watchful 
sentinel against French aggression and its most strenuous 
opponent"), hoped to arrest the advance of the French. An 
account of the battle at Great Meadows and its unfortunate 
ending is given in the Appendix^ to Washington's journal, 
and the history of the campaign is perhaps most interestingly 
told by that fascinating writer, Francis Parkman, in the sev- 
enth volume of his charming history of England and France 
in North America. 

Aroused at the surrender of Fort Necessity at Great 
Meadows, the English authorities commissioned Sir Edward 
Braddock commander of all the King's forces in America. 
Leaving England late in the year 1754 he arrived in Hampton 
Roads in February, 1755, and ordered his transports to pro- 
ceed at once up the Potomac to Alexandria, where a camp 
was to be formed. Braddock followed more leisurely and did 
not reach the camp till the end of March. Of the events that 
followed before the order was given to start on the expedition 
that was to terminate so unfortunately for himself, we need 
not concern ourselves, but it is of more than passing interest 
to mention the cruel apathy of the people whose homes this 
British soldier had come to protect. Says Parkman on this 
point : "Contracts broken or disavowed, want of horses, want 
of wagons, want of forage, want of wholesome food, or suffi- 
cient food of any kind caused such delay that the report of it 
reached England and drew from Walpole the comment that 
Braddock was in no hurry to be scalped. In reality he was 
maddened with impatience and vexation."^ 

It was Benjamin Franklin, then postmaster of Pennsylvania, 
who came to his rescue and made it possible for him to obtain 

^ England and France in North America. Part Seventh. Montcalm 
and Wolfe. Boston, 1885, p. 137. 

"An Appendix (to Journal of Colonel George Washington, 1754) 
supplying an account of the Battle of Fort Necessity.. See note 2. By 
J. M. Toner. Albany, 1893, p. 133, et seq. 

' England and France in North America, p. 198. 



the much-needed supplies and means of transportations. Brad- 
dock's comment on Franklin in a private letter is that he was 
"almost the only instance of ability and honesty I have known 
in these provinces."^ 

It was not until early in April that a forward movement was 
possible, and fortunately for us the Orderly Book of Brad- 
dock has been preserved and published through the interest of 
a well-known resident of Washington, It forms an Appendix 
to the History of Cumberland by the late William H. Low- 
dermilk." 

Under date of April 7, it says : "Colo Dunbar's Regiment 
is to march at 5 O'clock on Saturday Morning for Rock Creek. 
Creek. 

"Waggons will be ordered on Friday to carry the baggage 
and whatever Tents may be struck to the Boats destend for 
their Transportation and at Day break on Saturday morning 
Waggons will attend at the head of the Regiment for the mens 
Tents, &c. 

"A Subaltern Officer with three Sergeants three Corporals 
and thirty men are to be sent on board the Boats as a Baggage 
Guard, and this Guard is to assist in conveying the Tents &c 
to the Boats to help in putting them on board. 

"All the Boats upon that part of the River near Rock Creek 
are ordered to attend to cary the Troop over." 

In the "After Orders" it says : 

"March Rout of Colo Dunbars Regiment from the camp at 

Alexandria to Frederick in Maryland. To Rock Creek, 

miles; to Owens Ordinary, 15 miles; to Dowden's Ordinary, 
15 miles; to Frederick, 15 miles." (P. xviii.) 

On April 8, the following orders appear: 

* Idem, p. 199. 

" Major General Edward Braddock's Orderly Books, from Febru- 
ruary 26 to June 17, 1755, from the originals in the Congressional Li- 
ary, in History of Cumberland (Maryland), from the time of the 
Indian town, Caiuctucuc, in 1728, up to the present day, embracing 
an account of Washington's First Campaign, and Battle of Fort Neces- 
sity, together with a History of Braddock's Expedition. By Will H. 
Lowdermilk. Washington, D. C, 1878. 



"You are to leave at Rock Creek an Officer and 30 men who 
is to remain there tih all the Stores of the Train and Hospital 
are put into the Waggons is then to march and form the 
Rear Guard of the whole. 

"You are also to leave at Rock Creek a Subaltern and 20 
men who are to wait there till the arrival of Mr. Johnston 
the Paymaster and to Escort him to Frederick. 

"You will be joined at Rock Creek by an Officer and 30 Sea- 
men who you are to take under your command and give them 
your Orders and Regulations as they will want some convey- 
ance for their baggage you will dispose of it as you find most 
convenient." (P. xx.) 

On April 9 : 

"Colo Dunbars Regiment to send this forenoon two Ser- 
geants and twenty men to Rock Creek to reinforce the Officer 
there." (P. xxi.) 

On April 1 1 : 

"Colo Dunbars Regiment to hold themselves in readiness 
but not to march till further Orders." 

Also: 

"As there are Boats provided to carry Colo Dunbars Regi- 
ments Baggage to Rock Creek the former orders relative to 
their march to be obeyd." (P. xxii.) 

Under date of April 25, the orders read : 

"Colo Dunbar's Regiment to hold themselves in readiness 
to March by the 29th." 

And: 

"One Corporal and four men to March to morrow Morning 
to Rock Creek with four Waggons that came up this Even- 
ing; when the party comes to Rock Creek they are to put 
themselves under the command of Ensign French." (P. xxvi.) 

Again, under date of April 28, the following entry appears 
in the orders : 

"To Ensign French, at Rock Creek. You are ordered by 
his Excellency Genl Braddock to forward with all Expedition 
the ammunition Stores &c at Rock Creek to Mr Cresaps 
Conogogee taking care to send the ammunition Train Stores 
&c first, then the Hospital Stores and Salt Fish. 



"You are not wait for the Beeves but as soon as the afore- 
mentioned things are gone up you will move with your party 
and join the Regiment at Wills Creek agreeable to the follow*^ 
March Route; as you will find Provisions very scarce on 
the Road you must take with you as many days of salt Pro- 
visions as the Men can carry. 

"From Rock creek to Owens Ordy, 15 miles; to Dowdens, 
15 miles; to Frederick, 15 miles; on the Road to Conogogee, 
17 miles; to Conogogee, 18 miles; to John Evan's, 16 miles; 
to Widow Baringer's, 18 miles; to George Polls's, 9 miles; to 
Henry Knocks, 15 miles; to Mr Cox's, 12 miles; to Colo 
Cresap's, 8 miles; to Wills Creek, 16 miles; total, 174 miles. 

"You must if you should find it necessary, take with you 
Guides from place to place, and make such halts as you shall 
find absolutely necessary being careful not to loose any time. 

"If the Waggons should come in very slowly make your ap- 
plications to the Civil Officers and if that should not succeed 
send Parties to fetch in any Waggons you shall hear off. In- 
form Lieut Breerton of the March Route, and tell him it is 
the Generals Orders that he make all imaginable dispatch. 

As soon as the Paymaster arrives he must also victual his 
men when the last Stores of all kinds which are to be sent and 
dismissed from Rock Creek, you are to send a Letter to Capt 
Gates at Conogogee informing him of it. 

The hand barrows and wheel barrows of the Train except 6 
of each are to be left behind all but the Wheels and Iron Work 
which are to be forwarded." (P. xxix.) 

No further mention of Rock Creek is made in the Orderly 
Book, but in that portion of Mr. Lowdermilk's work devoted 
to the march from Alexandria, he says :^^ 

"General Braddock, although disappointed in the matter of 
recruits, as well as of transportation, left Alexandria on his 
march to Fort Duquesne on the 20th of April. 

"On the 26th of April the command arrived at Frederick- 
tOAvn, in Maryland, where Washington then joined it." 

Omitting entirely any mention of the landing at Rock 
Creek. 

"History of Cumberland, etc., p. iii. 



Besides the Orderly Book, from which quotations have just 
been given, the diary of General Braddock's aid, Captain Rob- 
ert Orme, was carefully edited by Mr. Winthrop Sargent and 
published by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 1855/^ 
The following extracts are of pertinent interest : 

"April 10, 1755. Moderate and fair but sultry weather; to- 
day we received orders to march to-morrow morning, and 6 
companies of Sir Peter Halket's Regiment to march in their 
way to Will's Creek. 

"April nth. Our orders were countermanded, and to pro- 
vide ourselves with 8 days provisions, and to proceed to Rock 
Creek, 8 miles from Alexandria, in the 'Sea Horse' and 
'Nightingale's' boats to-morrow. 

"On the I2th, agreeably to our orders we proceeded and ar- 
rived at Rock Creek at 10 o'clock. This place is 5 miles from 
the lower falls of Potomack, and 4 from the eastern branch of 
it. Here our men got quarters, and we pitched our tents : 
found here Colonel Dunbar, whose orders w^e put ourselves 
under. 

"On the 13th : We were employed in getting the Regimental 
Stores into Wagons, in order to march to-morrow. This is a 
pleasant situation, but provisions and everything dear. 

On the 14th : We began our March at 6, and were ordered 
with our Detachment to go in front, and about 2 o'clock at 
one Lawrence Owens, 15 miles from Rock Creek, and 8 miles 
from the upper falls of Potomack ; and encamped upon good 
ground." 

Thinking that possibly some information might be had in 
Alexandria as to the route following up the river by Brad- 
dock, Mr. WiFliam F. Carne, whose information on local mat- 
ters is said to be unexcelled, was appealed to, and the follow- 
ing negative information elicited : 

"History of An Expedition Against Fort Dii Quesne, in I7S5; 
under Major General Edward Braddock, Generalissimo of H. B. M. 
Forces in America, edited from the original manuscripts, by Win- 
throp Sargent, M. A., member of the Historical Society of Pennsyl- 
vania. Memoirs of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadel- 
phia, 185s, Vol. V, p. 367. 



8 

"So far as I know there is no reference in any printed mat- 
ter about the local history of Alexandria as to what point 
Braddock's troops landed in 1755 on the Washington side of 
the Potomac. 

"Dr. Toner made from some records, where I know not, an 
itinerary of Braddock's route, and Mr. Lowdermilk has pub- 
lished Braddock's Order Book ; but I do not know how they, 
either of them, fixed 'Braddock's Rock' with any sort of dis- 
tinctness." 

According to Lowdermilk a very satisfactory description 
of Braddock's route, written from Cumberland by Mr. T. C. 
Atkinson in 1847, is contained in the "Olden Time,"^^ but an 
examination of that work shows simply that 

"General Braddock landed at Alexandria on the 20th of 
February, 1755. * * * After numerous delays, and a con- 
ference with the Royal Governors, we find Gen. Braddock en- 
route on the 24th of April, when he had reached Frederick- 
town, in Maryland. Passing thence through Winchester, Va., 
he reached Fort Cumberland about the 9th of May. Sir John 
Sinclair, Deputy Quarter-Master General, had preceded him 
to this point about 2 weeks. 

"The army struck a Little Cacapehon (though pronounced 
Cacapon,) about 6 miles above its mouth, and following the 
stream, encamped on the Virginia side of the Potomack, pre- 
paratory to crossing- into Maryland. The water is supposed 
to have been high at the time, as the spot is known as Ferry- 
fields, from the army having been ferried over. This was 
about the 4th or 5th of May. The army thence pursued the 
bank of the river, with a slight deviation of the route at the 
mouth of the south branch to the village of Old Town." 

The Orderly Book of General Braddock and the diary of 
his aide-de-camp, Captain Robert Orme, as has been shown, 
established the fact that the landing of the British soldiers was 

'' The Olden Time, a monthly publication devoted to the preserva- 
tion of documents and other authentic information in relation to the 
early explorations of the settlement and improvement of the country 
around the head of the Ohio. Edited by Neville B. Craig. Pittsburg, 
1848, Vol. II, p. 540. 



at a place designated by them as Rock Creek. No contem- 
porary records so far as I have been able to learn mention the 
exact spot where the landing was made, but if tradition be of 
any value then the following statement gathered from various 
sources settle the matter beyond any reason of doubt. 

The first of these to which I invite your attention is by that 
learned scholar, Professor Joseph E. Nourse, so long a resi- 
dent of Georgetown, who, in 1871, in discussing the site of the 
old United States Naval Observatory, writes -.^^ 

"The earliest trace of the records identifying the lands now 
occupied is in connection with the march of General Brad- 
dock against Fort Duquesne in the Colonial Wars. It seems 
clear that his troops landed and encamped on this hill." 

"The record is this (Braddock's Expedition, by Winthrop 
Sargent, p. 367) : 

"April II, 1755. Four companies of the Forty-fourth Regi- 
ment, under Lieutenant (afterward Governor) Gage, and a 
detachment of seamen from Alexandria, landed from the boats 
of the 'Sea Horse' and the 'Nightingale,' and pitched their 
tents 'at Rock Creek.' April 14th, General Braddock arrived 
at Rock Creek and gave orders for transporting the stores ; 
the troops marched from 'Rock Creek' to Owen's house, fif- 
teen miles onward to Frederick." (Rockville.) Traditions are 
strong as to the camping on this hill. 

"Washington's letters show that he afterward crossed here 
also from Alexandria to join Braddock at Frederick." 

"The late Colonel Peter Force, of Washington, so well 
known for his historical collections, repeatedly pointed out 
the large rock, which yet stands, in the southern part of the 
original Reservation, which the Observatory occupies, as the 
rock on which these landings were made. The northern chan- 
nel of the Potomac, it is well known, was good here until our 
day — until the causeway for the Long Bridge was made." 

At the time when improvements along the Potomac River 
were being agitated, Mr. Michael Delaney, who was for many 
years connected with the Quartermaster's Department of the 

" Washington Observation for 1871, Appendix 4, p. 27. 



10 

United States Army, described the early history of the river 
and the changes that took place in its channel during a series 
of years, in a letter written^* to the late Captain James B. Eads. 

In the course of this communication he said : 

"My mother was born in Washington during the latter part 
of the last century, and I first saw light in the same place, 
April 12, 1819. My grandfather had charge of the grading 
of that city, so that by tradition, at least, I have reason to 
believe that I can give some hints, that, if acted upon, may 
restore at least a portion of the usefulness of the river and har- 
bor in front of the city." 

Continuing, he said : 

"By standing upon the aqueduct that spans the Potomac 
above Georgetown, and looking east, you will perceive that 
the force of the current must strike against the Washington 
bluffs, from where it ricochets to Analostan, or Mason's 
Island; from thence rebounding, it swept over to the Wash- 
ington side and passed by what is known as Easby's Point, 
or Shipyard ; thence along the foot of Observatory Hill ; 
thence past the mouth of Tiber Creek, with the same erosive 
force upon its mouth that it had upon the Anacostia, over to 
and around the 'point' upon which the Washington Monu- 
ment now stands, thence hugging the bluffs around and down 
by the arsenal. The water, at the time of Braddock's ill-fated 
expedition, was so deep that his vessels landed the troops at 
what was known as the 'Big Rock,' at the foot of 'Observatory 
Hill,' direct from the vessels which were laid alongside, and 
up to the time of the building of the Observatory the hill was 
one known as 'Camp Hill,' from Braddock's Army having 
camped there prior to starting for Pittsburg again." 

In 1891, a writer,^^ in an elaborate account of Braddock's 
Expedition, says : 

"Alexandria, then a colonial village, eight miles down the 
Virginia side of the Potomac, was the recruiting point of 
Braddock's Army. Thither his little fleet of two war ships 

" Washington Post, August 3, 1890. 
^"Washington Star, June 20, 1891. 



II 

and half a dozen transports, under Commodore Keppel, had 
proceeded from Hampton with two regiments of five hundred 
men each, to be augmented later by four hundred Virginia 
troops. Braddock himself, with his own personal retinue, got 
separated from the remainder of his party and landed on this 
side of the river opposite Analostan Island, at what is now 
the foot of Twenty-fourth Street, Northwest, then a stretch of 
woods. Braddock's vessel was drawn close up to shore and 
moored to a big boulder protruding from the bank, upon 
which, as we can imagine, he stamped his booted feet and 
struck a dramatic attitude in disembarking. Curiously 
enough, this spot marks the right wing of a huge crescent, 
from which the Capital City curves, as seen from a birds-eye 
view, away around southeastward to the Congressional Ceme- 
tery. Or, considering Georgetown with its extensions as a 
part of Washington, it forms almost the center of a similar 
crescent drawn between the extreme limits of the District of 
Columbia. 

"The boulder has ever since been known, to those who 
have known of it at all, as 'Braddock's Rock,' and to this day it 
is still intact and unmolested by stone chipper or relic 
hunter."i« 

In 1896 several accounts of the rock were published in the 
daily papers of Washington, and at that time, in a letter to 
the District Commissioners, Dr. G. Brown Goode, President 
of the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, made 
the following statement :^'^ 

"Braddock's Rock is upon the site occupied by the British 

'" Rarest of Landmarks, Washington Times, May 30, 1896. In 
this article it says: At that time, however, the country on both sides 
of the creek was very low and marshy, having been filled in since. 
Then, too, there were two bridges that crossed the creek, not far from 
the mouth, and a road through the timberland led almost directly 
from this hill. The rock afiforded a firm and convenient landing, the 
hill a magnificent spot for a camp, and the road to be traversed from 
there led directly on their intended line of march. In view of these 
facts it is not improbable that the soldierly foresight of the com- 
mander led him to choose this spot for a landing. 

"Washington Star, April 9, 1896. 



12 

and provincial troops in April, 1755. The British troops 
landed here from their transports, the 'Sea Horse' and the 
'Nightingale,' and here pitched their tents on April 14, I755- 
It is a matter of tradition that Washington, then an officer of 
Virginia colonial troops, and later aide-de-camp to Braddock, 
was camped also on this very hill, and was so impressed with 
the beauty of the site and of the surrounding country that he 
was subsequently led to choose it for the location of the Na- 
tional Capital. This is the very spot which he, in 1796, desig- 
nated as the location for the University of the United States. 

"Braddock's rock has been known by this name ever since 
the time of Braddock's departure, and is still so known by old 
inhabitants of the vicinity, among whom are several who re- 
member when it was touched by the waters of the Potomac, 
since diverted farther southward. In the report of the Wash- 
ington Astronomical Observatory for 1871, appendix No. 4, 
is a reference to Braddock's Rock under this name, and to the 
fact that it was from this point that Braddock marched toward 
Fort Duquesne. It is also recorded here that Colonel Peter 
Force, the well-known antiquary, during his lifetime repeat- 
edly pointed out this as the rock on which Braddock's landing 
was made. Further authentication can be found in Brad- 
dock s journal of this expedition." 

In response to a letter addressed to the United States Coast 
and Geodetic Survey, asking for information as to whether 
their files of maps gave any information concerning the early 
use of the name of Braddock's Rock, the following reply" was 
received : 

"I have pleasure in informing you that the position of 
this rock was plotted on an original hydrographic sheet, exe- 
cuted, in 1867, by Clarence Fendall. The sheet is now in the 
archives of the Survey, but has never been published. The 
point described as Braddock's Rock on this sheet is located 
at the exact edge of the old canal and almost due south of the 
Naval Observatory. Mr. Henry Lindenkohl, of this office, 
who is well read upon matters of this kind, informs me that 



Under date of March 18, li 



13 

the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was cut through this rock, 
leaving half of it only standing. He states that the army, in 
crossing the river, could go directly to the rock, as the exist- 
ing marshes had not then made their appearance." 

I add also a letter v^ritten to me by the venerable Mr. Ed- 
ward Clark, ^'^ who is so well known as the architect of the 
Capitol, and who in his earlier years paid much attention to 
the history of Braddock : 

"I have been informed by Mr. W. W. Corcoran and Dr. 
John B, Blake that they, as boys, went swimming at Brad- 
dock's Rock, which at the time was near the water's edge. 
They also informed me that one of their companions was a 
colored boy, who was, at the time they spoke, a messenger in 
this office. 

"I became interested in the subject, and asked why it was 
called Braddock's Rock, and was told, because parties of 
Braddock's troops frequently landed there and moored their 
boats at the rock. 

"Isaac Johnson, the boy mentioned above, who was brought 
up in the neighborhood, confirmed what these gentlemen said, 
that this stone was always known as Braddock's Rock, be- 
cause when the British came up from Alexandria in their 
boats, they always 'fastened' them to this rock. He, as well 
as Mr. Corcoran, said that he heard some of the older people 
say, that they had heard older people than themselves say, that 
they had seen Braddock's men land there." 

No paper on this subject would be complete without a men- 
tion of the careful and scholarly article by Mr. Hugh T. Tag- 
gart, that appeared^^ in 1896. Mr. Taggart traces the history 
of the rock almost from the year 1632, finding it early 
described as 'a large rock lying at and in the river Potomack, 
commonly called the Key of all Keys." He quotes George 
W. Hughes, who was Superintendent of the Long Bridge, and 
in a report to the Secretary of the Treasury, dated January 
30, 1835, makes the following statement: 

"It is a matter of historv that General Braddock disem- 



' Under date of March 29, 1899. 
Washington Star, May 16, 189^ 



14 

barked at a rock, which still bears his name, near the glass 
house, from a sloop-of-war, on his unfortunate expedition 
against the French and Indians in 1755." 

Mr. Taggart concedes that the rock "might have been util- 
ized by the expedition as a landing place," but he adds as : 

"All indications point to the road to the ferry landing on 
the Virginia side as the one traveled by the regiment in its 
march from Alexandria, from which transportation directly 
across the river alone was needed to reach the road to Fred- 
erick ; this road, no doubt, extended easterly to Saw Pit Land- 
ing, which point would have been the most convenient one 
for the landing of the baggage, and for this reason it may 
have been used for that purpose." 

In other words, he offers a well argued hypothesis for a 
tradition which, according to his own account, existed un- 
disputed in 1835. History is not established by such methods. 

In conclusion, the evidence presented before you may be 
summarized as follows : While it is true that no positive evi- 
dence that General Braddock ever landed at the rock which 
bears his name has been found, still the tradition is so strong 
and is confirmed by so many writers, whose opinions are 
worthy of acceptance, that it seems to me that we are justi- 
fied in accepting it as true. 

I do not wish to take upon myself the responsibility of urg- 
ing upon this body the marking of that rock as the place 
where General Braddock landed in 1755, but I believe that 
it is your duty in view of the evidence here submitted to pre- 
serve it from further desecration, and therefore do most ear- 
nestly urge upon you the great desirability of causing an in- 
scription to be placed upon it, containing the following in- 
formation : 

KEY OF KEYS. 

Commonly Called Braddock's Rock. 

This legend has been inscribed by the National Society of 

Colonial Dames in the District of Columbia, in commem- 
oration of the landing of General Edward Braddock, 
at the beginning of his march to Fort 
Duquesne in 1755. 
1899. 



15 

Finally, I am under many obligations to various persons 
for assistance in the preparation of this paper. Mr. O. H. 
Tittman, of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, 
most kindly had the maps of that ofifice searched for me. Mr. 
P. Lee Phillips, of the Library of Congress, continued the 
search among the maps under his charge. Mr. W. B. Bryan, 
of the Washington Star, extended to me the courtesies of his 
rich collection of early works on the District of Columbia, all 
of which were examined, but no satisfactory references were 
found. Mr. F. H. Parsons kindly searched the records of 
the United States Naval Observatory for me and called my at- 
tention to publications elsewhere, some of which proved most 
fruitful of results. Also others who, by their advice and sug- 
gestions have enabled me to follow clues which might not 
otherwise have been considered. To these and all others to 
whom I am indebted, it is a pleasure to extend my sincere 
thanks for their interest. 

Marcus Be;njamin. 



ft 



<\ 



i « "ll f" #* •* ^ 




.<fi'\. ''^^.' ^^'\ 





















•^ 
'y^ 










\n<i 



<<"^^ 


















. ' * A 



.^'0-"-;% ""'.o^''.'^^!^,'^/" ,/^ .'!:^^^-'^ .0^ . 



,-r .'^o^v 



. . s - ^0' 



^\^ 






^^-^^^ 



'^oV^ 



^ 



.<J>^ 



'.^'i;-. -^^ A''' ,^>i;^> ^-^^ -■^' 






-\- 












.0' 



'^_ 






Ji- 



0* 






■'0 V^ 






-'^ik^' 



C^\,.. V *-° 




,^' .^y^', ^^. .^' .!^4?^. ^. .-^ 



.,., v/ %-.:5^>y \'-^-^-'/ V-H-^V' 






-5^^ oV^^^^ia""- ^^^r<i :^M^^^ ^OV^ 




rAQ^ 




^^-^^^ 























♦ • ' <v 













'oK 






r 'v. 









0' ^^ ^.,,. ^ 



.0' 






-p 







A E R 7 o 

*^H^ N. MANCHESTER. 
INDIANA 



>,°-Kt; 



^°-'*. 



-^ 



^0• 



'J> 



%.*" 



'«' 



